Bingo In Europe – Who Plays The Most
There’s no denying that bingo is highly popular today. Thanks to the rise in online bingo sites, there are more people than ever before playing and enjoying the game. How popular is it in Europe, and which country is the one that plays the most bingo?
The Origin Of Bingo
Bingo as a game actually originated in Europe, in Italy. It was devised around 1530 and was created as a lottery. The French took the format in the 1770s and created some changes, so French aristocrats could enjoy it. It made its way to the UK in the 18th century and became a firm favourite here ever since.
The game was actually coined as ‘bingo’ in 1929 by US toy manufacturer Edwin S. Lowe. They made pre-packaged bingo cards and sold them to the public. This allowed them to really spread the word of bingo around the world.
The Age Of The Bingo Hall
The UK has always loved bingo, and that gave way to a golden age of bingo halls. This allowed people to come together and enjoy the game, along with food, drinks and entertainment. As such, it was an amazing day out for many.
That only increased thanks to the dawn of television. When televisions started making their way into homes, cinemas fell into disuse. Thanks to this, these cinemas were converted into more bingo halls, making the game even more accessible.
In the 1960s, the game reached its peak as weekly attendance at bingo halls was higher than that at football games. In this day and age, that’s almost impossible to imagine.
Advent Of Online Bingo
There have been online bingo sites since the late 1990s, but they really started taking off in the late 2000s. These offer a lot of benefits that bingo fans couldn’t get before, such as 90 ball and 75 ball bingo. Also, it made it more accessible than ever before, so fans around the world could start enjoying the game.
There have been no signs of the popularity of online bingo slowing down. Even in the last couple of years, there have been hundreds of new sites launching. A lot of this can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, as people had to stay home. Instead of going to local bingo halls, they could meet up with other bingo fans virtually instead.
Who Plays The Most Bingo?
So, which country in the UK plays the most bingo overall? It’s a close run between Sweden and the UK. In Sweden, the game is seen as quite fun and trendy. As such, most players there are under the age of 25. That’s quite hard to imagine for us in the UK.
Bingo has always been huge in the UK though, and it continues to be so till this day. Soldiers were even playing bingo during the Second World War, so it’s a game that’s stood the test of time.
The popularity of bingo has ensured that people of all ages are enjoying it online, too. You’ll see that when you join any online game, as there are people of all ages there having a great time. As such, the UK are the bingo capital of Europe.
Thanks to easy rules and fast paced play, bingo became a popular game all over the world. When it comes to Europe though, the UK have everyone else beast in terms of numbers. It’s been part of national DNA for decades, and it isn’t going away any time soon. Games are more likely to happen online than in person now, but we’re still playing more bingo than anyone else.
*This is a collaborative post
** Remember to only play for fun – play responsibly by setting deposit limits and if you feel that you have an addiction to gambling seek professional help
